Ink Stains
by AjAwkwardsauce
Summary: Tori goes to get a tattoo. She hasn't seen Jade in years and they happen to run into each other. Tumblr Request.
1. Skin

**Tumblr request: Tori goes to get a tattoo and Jade works at the parlor. **

Tori sat in her car and took several deep breaths.

"You wanted this. You still want this." She told herself. She held her breath as she opened the car door and stepped out. She counted the steps it took to get into the tattoo shop and nearly jumped when the bell over the door rung. She was really too skittish to be doing this. She exhaled slowly as she moved over to the counter. The woman behind the counter had blond and bright blue dreadlocks and bracelets cover the entirety of her forearms and making it difficult to figure out what the sleeve on her right arm was. Tori thought it might be a bunch of butterflies.

"Oh, Tori!" The receptionist smiles. "Right on time. J is back in that room." She pointed to a door on the other side of the wall. Tori turned around and faced the door. It was slightly ajar and she could see a shadow on the wall. She had never met J. Only talked to her in emails and she knew she should have met the woman tattooing her in person, she just didn't have the time. She was holding her breath and didn't realize it until her chest started to hurt. She gasped for air and clutched at her chest.

"Oh, Sweetheart, J is a lovely woman, her bark is much worse than her bite. She is a great artist." The receptionist smiled at Tori. "Go on in." She urged. Tori nodded shakily and took a step forward. To keep herself moving, Tori once again counted the steps it took to get to the room. She knocked on the heavy white door.

"Come in!" A familiar voice called from behind the door. Tori didn't have time to ponder the voice because as soon as she stepped into the room she was face to face with Jade West.

"Jade?" She squeaked. Jade laughed.

"Hey, Sweet Sally Peaches. Getting a tattoo?" She smirked. Tori couldn't help but stare.

She hadn't seen Jade in a few years. She automatically thought Jade became a big time producer and didn't look around to figure out otherwise. Her hair was longer and she had it in several braids on one side. She had three piercings above her left eyebrow instead of one and she had a lip piercing as well. She wore dark red lipstick and she had tattoos across her chest and arms. She looked great.

"Thanks, now, go ahead and sit there." Jade pointed to the chair. Tori's mouth dropped open. She had said that last bit out loud. She shook her head and lowered herself down on the chair that Jade told her to sit on.

"So, you're sure this is what you want?" She held out a transfer sheet with the tattoo on it. It was a microphone and the cord was made of the words 'Make it Shine', Tori figured that it was an important enough moment in her life to get a tattoo of. Tori nodded stiffly.

"Yeah." Her voice cracked and she cleared her throat. Jade chuckled.

"You nervous?" She questioned.

"A little." Tori said with a shrug that seemed too rigid.

"Look, there is nothing to worry about. I won't hurt you too much. And none of the pain will be on purpose. I promise." Jade gave her a smile and Tori saw the tongue piercing through her teeth. She wondered what that would feel like if she kissed her. Tori choked and started coughing. What was she thinking? Jade looked alarmed and filled a cup with water for her to drink.

"Jeez, Vega, calm down."

"I'm fine." Tori snapped. Jade's eyes widened. "I'm fine." Tori reiterated in a calmer voice.

"Okay, well, you want this on your right side, correct?" Jade questioned setting the transfer onto her table. Tori nodded.

"Yeah." Her voice was softer.

"Then you're going to need to take your shirt off." Jade said. Tori did as she was told and set her shirt on the chair she had been sitting on.

"Hop up here and lie down on your left side with your arm above your head." Jade patted the table that looked a lot like the ones in doctor's offices. Tori had trouble moving her limbs but she finally managed to pull herself onto the table and lie down. Jade prepped the area and after she got the tattoo outline transferred she looked at Tori seriously.

"Are you ready?" She asked. Tori bit her lip.

"Don't do that. If you bite too hard while I'm doing this, you could bite through your lip." Jade told her. Tori's jaw dropped open and she looked horrified.

"I'm ready." Tori inhaled slowly.

"Okay," Jade pressed the needle to her skin. "Oh, and don't hold your breath. I don't need you passing out." Tori let the oxygen she had been holding in her lungs in anticipation of the pain out immediately. Jade smiled before going to work. Seconds after she started Tori's face contorted in pain. She lifted her arm up into the air as if that would lessen the pain and tears sprung to her eyes.

"It's okay, you're doing great, Tori. Why don't we talk about something to take your mind off of the pain?" Jade suggested and Tori couldn't believe that she was being so kind. Tori breathed through the pain and squeezed her eyes shut. A few tears slipped down her face.

"Okay," She huffed in single breath.

"What are you doing with your life, lately?" Jade asked.

"Singing." Tori answered. "I have a new," she paused and grimaced, "album coming out in June." She pulled on her hair roughly.

"Oh, I'm not surprised about that." Jade smirked. Tori would have laughed if she wasn't in so much pain.

"Why?" She asked.

"You were always a good singer Tori." Jade replied.

"No." Tori's eyes squeezed closed in pain again. "You were _way_ better than me." She said emphatically.

"Don't argue with me, Vega, you deserve to be where you have gotten." Jade said. Tori nodded and opened her eyes.

"Thanks. What," She paused again and held her breath.

"Don't do that." Jade commanded and Tori exhaled slowly.

"…are you doing with your life?" Tori finished her question.

"You're looking at it Peaches," Jade responded. "I've been working here for six years. On occasion, I will dabble in the movie making business." She stopped talking and focused on the tattoo. "But, I'm doing what I really love here. I've always had a fascination with tattoos and piercings."

"Ah." Tori commented. She was surprised that Jade hadn't tried to become more successful in her passion for script writing.

"You were really good." Tori said. "With your writing, I mean."

"Thanks." Jade laughed. "It's like high school all over again. You and me trading compliments." Tori nodded.

"Yeah, it is." For a few minutes Jade worked in silence until it looked like Tori was in too much pain.

"Are you dating anyone?" She asked.

"What?" Tori gasped. Jade was on her rip cage now and it hurt.

"Is Sweet Sally Peaches single or taken?"

"Oh," Tori pondered the question. "I'm single. I just broke up with my girlfriend." She said. This caused Jade to stop for a second and stare at Tori before going back to work.

"You?" Tori asked. Jade shook her head before remembering that Tori couldn't see her.

"I – uh, just came out, and – I guess – I don't have very good gaydar." Jade laughed to herself.

"I think, I'm bisexual but I don't know exactly how to go about being bi." She told Tori. Tori bit her lip again.

"Stop it." Jade ordered and Tori released her lip quickly.

"Well, it's not too hard." Tori said. "If you like a girl, and there is a possibility that she 'swings your way', hell even if there isn't a possibility" She paused because of the pain. "Kiss her." She panted. Jade laughed.

"Sure." She stopped and leaned back. "Well, there you go. All done." She smiled. It looked nice. "Can I take a picture, for my website?" Tori nodded and Jade picked up the camera from her table. She snapped a few pictures and then treated the tattoo and bandaged it.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Okay, you're going to want to be very careful, and don't forget to do what I explained to you, and what is written on that paper." Jade watched as Tori buttoned up her shirt.

"I won't."

"Oh, and Tori?" Jade said. Tori looked up and Jade kissed her. It was slow and testing but Tori couldn't care less, it almost made her forget about the pain on her side. "Do you want to get some coffee, sometime?" She smiled.

**"Sure."**


	2. Paper

**So, after the overwhelming requests for a second chapter to this fic, I have finally obliged. **

She was going to get coffee. There was nothing to be worried about. Except for the fact that she was getting coffee with Jade West. At this thought Tori's right side started itching. She chewed on her lip and threw her car door open to distract herself. When she stepped out she had to hold her breath until she got to the glass door to the coffee shop. It was covered with posters of upcoming performances from college bands and open-mic nights. Tori had never been to this coffee shop before but, somehow, it seemed very Jade-esque, and that made her smile.

She pushed open the door and a dull thumping sound from the hollow bell hitting against metal echoed above her. A man played his guitar and sang into a microphone in a deep and husky voice that gave Tori chills. She breathed in the scent of coffee and tea while searching for Jade. It was dark inside but Tori was sure that Jade wasn't there yet. She walked up to the counter and ordered a chai latte. As she waited for her order to be finished she stared at the clock above the menu boards. It was seven-fifty. She was there a little early.

Tori was handed her cup and she took it to a table as far away from the singer guy with a beard that was too scruffy. Her table was beside the only part of window that wasn't plastered with posters and signs. When the thumping of metal on tin signaled the door opening, Tori looked up from the table. Jade walked in and she looked as attractive as ever. She wore a low-cut plum colored tank top with a pair of black jeans that were tucked into knee high leather boots. Her tattoos were more visible and Tori swore the snake on her collarbone slithered when she walked.

Tori watched her walk to the counter, order and pay before panic started to set it. How would she get Jade's attention? She didn't want to be the idiot waving from the other side of the coffee shop. Jade turned around and spotted Tori immediately. Her coy smile spread over her face and she strutted over to the little table Tori occupied.

"Hello, Peaches." Jade's cocky voice was so smooth it made Tori shiver.

"Hi, Jade." Her voice cracked and she cleared her throat.

"Are you nervous?" Jade slid into the seat across from her. Tori nodded. It felt like she was back getting her tattoo.

"A little." She answered the same. She didn't see reason in lying to Jade, the girl could read her like a book.

"Do I make you nervous?" Jade leaned forward, her tongue slid over her teeth and showed off her tongue piercing.

"Incredibly." Tori leaned back to create some space between them. Jade smiled.

"Good, that'll keep you on your toes." She picked up her coffee and took a sip.

"How's your tattoo?" She asked. Tori shifted in her seat. She had forgotten about how irritating the ink had been in her skin. She rubbed her arm against her rib cage.

"Itchy." Her voice was strained as she struggled not to scratch at her side. Jade laughed.

"Yeah, that should stop soon enough." She reached her arms above her head. Her shoulders popped and Tori watched the tattoos ripple over her skin as her muscles stretched.

"See anything you like?" Jade asked as she settled in her chair.

"Mhmmm." Tori licked her lips and nodded. She paused and blushed.

"Oh, wait, did you mean your tattoos?" She asked.

"Yes, but I like what you're thinking." Jade winked. Tori shook her head and laughed.

"Oh, well, in that case, I like the bird." She pointed to the sparrow on Jade's bicep. It started on the underside of her arm but the wings seemed to almost hug her arm. The talons were made to look as if they were digging into her flesh.

"Yeah, that was rough. Outlining, coloring and shading took five hours." She said. Tori grimaced, the pain of her tattoo session was still fresh in her mind. They fell into a silence that was not entirely uncomfortable. Jade cleared her throat.

"So, where have you been up until recently?" She questioned as she glanced towards the scruffy beard guy. Tori looked over the intricate braids on the left side of Jade's head.

"Traveling, I lived in New York for a while when I was first getting started."

"What's it like there?" Jade turned back to face her. Tori shrugged.

"Noisy and crowded; but it was fun. I made a lot of friends." She answered with a fond smile. Jade nodded.

"I would love to open a tattoo shop in New York." Jade sounded wistful. Tori took a gulp of her cooling latte.

"So, who all is left in town?" She asked.

"Cat and Robbie settled down just outside of San Fransisco; but other than that, it's just me." She sighed. "And you, I guess, if you're here to stay." She said.

"Truthfully, I don't even know what I'm doing here now. I don't have plans of staying and I don't have plans of going anywhere." Tori watched the singer put his guitar away.

"I think you would like New York though, and hey, you could always write plays for Broadway." She smiled. Jade laughed.

"I don't even know if I can anymore. It has been so long since I've written anything." She finished her coffee.

"What made you decide not to pursue show business?" Tori asked and Jade sighed.

"Shortly after you left town, I got pregnant. Beck and I were going to get married and everything, but I lost the baby. Then they found a tumor and I had to get a hysterectomy." She paused and spun her empty cup in her hands. "I guess, after that, theater and acting didn't have as much appeal to me." Tori stared at her.

"I am so sorry." She said. Jade nodded slowly.

"Yeah," she chuckled, "wow, deep and dark on the first date. I imagined you to be more lighthearted."

"Yeah, well," Tori shrugged, "get it out of the way." She joked. Jade leaned forward and propped her head up with her hand under her chin.

"Then its your turn, isn't it?" She smirked. "Tell me something dark." She caught the stud in her tongue between her teeth. "Or dirty." Tori stared at the black ball on her pink tongue.

"I don't think I have anything to tell." Tori said cautiously.

"Oh, sure you do." Jade smiled. "Everyone has a story."

"Well, okay, but just remember you asked for this." Tori finished the rest of her latte and leaned forward so that she was only inches away from Jade's face.

"A few years back, probably two or three, I was in Chicago and I had just been dumped by my girlfriend of two and a half years. So I was in a really bad place. I had been drinking and I ran into Beck at a bar. I can only remember bits of it, but I yelled at him for taking you for granted and that he didn't know what he had. I was not coherent enough to tell him where I was staying, I suppose, because he took me back to his apartment." She laughed lightly. "Instead of thanking him the next morning for being such a nice guy and taking care of me; I called him a jackass and ate all of his pancakes. The last things I said where when I told him the syrup was really good and he informed me that it was from Canada and I remember telling him very seriously that 'Jade doesn't like Canada.' And I'm pretty sure I left right after that." She finished. Jade laughed and grinned.

"Wow, Vega, you're just full of surprises tonight aren't you?"

"I am." She answered cockily. Jade closed the space between them and captured Tori's lips with her own and for the first time Tori felt what it was like to kiss someone with their tongue pierced. Tori's pride deflated instantly. She may have been the one who had more experience with girls but Jade was doing things with her tongue that she had never experienced before.

"Do you want to come back to my place for a drink?" Jade pulled away first.

"What kind of girl do you think I am?" Tori tried to sound offended but her eyes were heavy and voice was husky.

"The kind that wants to come to my place for a drink." Jade stood up and pulled Tori with her.

The clanging of the empty bell against the door was the only signal of the two women leaving the coffee shop that night.


	3. Body

**So here is the morning after. There will be either one or two more chapters after this one. Enjoy **

Tori woke up pressed against Jade. They were wrapped around each other and their legs were tangled. Their bodies were sticky with dried sweat and Tori couldn't feel her right leg. Her eyes moved around the room and she smiled.

Jade's room was spotless. Everything had a place except for her crowded end table where a variety of things were thrown, including Tori's yellow panties. Jade shifted and released Tori's leg from between her own and Tori turned over.

Jade was beautiful. Her pale skin was the canvas to her art. Inked on her chest, right under her clavicle, was a sunflower with falling petals. There were only five petals stuck to the stem. Tori traced them lightly. When she got to the petal that was the farthest from the others Jade inhaled.

"That's you." She said. Tori stopped.

"What?"

"Each petal represents one of you. You were my only friends who didn't leave, didn't fall away." Jade said without opening her eyes. Tori looked back at the sunflower. She could see it. The two petals together where Robbie and Cat. Beck was the petal closest to her heart. Andre was a few nonexistent petals away from Beck and Tori was all the way on the opposite side.

"You're not far away 'cause I didn't like you." Tori looked up to find Jade staring at her.

"You're far away because I didn't know where you were, but I didn't think you left." She said.

"It's really pretty." Tori ran her fingers down the stem.

"Thanks." Jade smiled, her hand slid down Tori's back and traced circles over her tan skin.

"You're so beautiful." Tori exhaled and kissed the other woman's chest.

"Do all of your tattoos have a meaning behind them?" She asked slipping her hand down to Jade's hip where a small sun shined. Jade shook her head.

"No, not particularly, some of them were just nice at the time." She reached up and caressed the skin of her right shoulder. "Like this snake." She smiled. "Means absolutely nothing." She told Tori.

"Are you ever afraid of getting something you don't like?" Tori asked. Jade shook her head.

"If I don't like it, I incorporate it into a different tattoo, or just cover it up completely." She flipped over.

"That moon," She said and Tori ran her fingers over the silvery crescent moon, "used to be the words 'eat me' but I didn't find that tasteful anymore." She smirked into the pillow.

"Apposed to the words 'bite me'?" Tori bit down on the words on the back of her right shoulder. Jade shuddered.

"You need more tattoos." Jade turned over again.

"I want to be able to read you." She licked Tori's taught stomach.

"I'll get the script of The Scissoring tattooed on my back." Tori giggled.

"I would _love_ you if you did that." Jade kissed her way up between the tan woman's breasts until she was sucking on her neck. Tori arched her back as Jade pushed two fingers into her.

"Jade." She grunted.

"Yes, Tori." Jade smiled sweetly and added another finger.

"Fuck." Tori bit down onto Jade's shoulder and dug her nails into her back.

"You've become a lot more eloquent since I've last talked to you." Jade laughed.

"Oh," she grunted, "fuck you."

"That is what I intend." Jade smirked and kissed Tori's lips. She sped up her fingers and curled them inside of the writhing girl beneath her. Tori stiffened and her eyes squeezed shut.

"Oh, God." She sighed satisfied.

"Yeah, I tend to have that affect." Jade smiled smugly and Tori weakly hit her on the arm.

"Your turn." Tori grinned evilly.


	4. Fade

**Well, you guys asked for this. There will be one more chapter after this one. **

**Oh, and just so you guys know, this is about a year (maybe a little longer) after the last chapter. **

Tori sat at the counter on a bar stool in Jade's kitchen, waiting. It was just about eight in the morning and she was wearing a tan jacket and a pair of dark green skinny jeans tucked into boots. Her long brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she wasn't wearing much make up. She looked as if she had been crying.

Jade walked out of her room and into the kitchen. She glanced at Tori through sleep filled eyes and yawned.

"Hey Babe." She kissed her on the cheek. "Do you want some coffee?" She asked moving to the opposite counter and pulling out a coffee mug.

"Jade, we need to talk." Tori said soberly. Jade turned back to face her and realized how terrible Tori looked.

"What's wrong?" She asked immediately.

"Us." Tori inhaled deeply. "Jade, I need some sign of commitment from you." She slipped from the barstool and walked over to the tattooed woman.

"I want to be as permanent in your life as this ink." She traced her finger over a sunflower petal.

"Ink fades, Tori." Jade told her and her finger froze against the pale skin.

"Oh." Tori mouthed and her hand fell to her side.

"Do you even want me here?" She stepped away from Jade.

"Of course I do." Jade answered looking worried.

"I don't think you do, I can't find any reason to stay, you're not ready to commit. I don't know if you'll ever be ready."

"Don't go." Jade pleaded wrapping her fingers around Tori's wrist.

"I left everything in New York, for you. You have done _nothing_ here for me. This is not home for me. It is exactly the same as when I moved in a year ago." Tori sighed and pulled her arm out of Jade's grasp.

"Look, maybe, you need some time to think, I don't know. I just cannot be here and putting my life into our relationship if you can't commit." Jade's mouth opened and closed as she struggled to find words.

"But I love you." She finally managed.

"I love you, too. But I want a family. I want to get married. You have expressed no desire for any of that. Hell, I don't even have a drawer here, Jade! I've been living out of boxes." The tears started to slip down her face.

"Please don't cry." Jade reached for Tori but she stepped back.

"None of this feels permanent." Tori whispered.

"I can't." Jade responded.

"Then, I cannot stay here." Tori closed her eyes and a few more tears squeezed out. She wiped at her cheeks and when she opened her eyes again her face was set in determination.

"I have to get things in order in New York. Trina will be coming for my things." Tori walked forward and kissed Jade.

"Good bye." She whispered and walked out the door, leaving Jade stand frozen in her kitchen.

XXXXX

Some part of Tori was hoping her life could be one of those cliché love stories. The ones where a person breaks it off and their significant other comes running after them at the airport as they plan to board a plane and fly away. They profess their love, vow to change and it ends happily ever after. Unfortunately, her life was not a cliché love story. Jade did not, in fact, call her name as she was about to walk down the boarding tunnel. She got onto the plane without a disturbance and groaned audibly when she realized she was sitting behind a single mother with two young children.

By the end of the stuffy and cramped five and a half hour flight Tori thought she might strange the toddlers. She hurried through the tunnel and baggage claim as fast as she could. The airport was busy and she just wanted to get to the hotel room the recording company arranged for her when she informed them she was returning to New York.

After she slid into the taxi and gave the address to the driver she started to cry. Her chest hurt and she couldn't breathe, but she didn't know if she even wanted to without Jade. The taxi smelled like tacos and dirty socks and the odor was only covered slightly by the air freshener on the dashboard. For some reason this made her cry harder because if Jade were with her, the loud mouthed woman would give her opinion without being asked for it, but Tori sat silently sobbing in the back seat. When she went to pay the driver the fare he refused.

"It's on the house. You seem real upset, just know that even though it may seem like the end now, things will work themselves out." He said. Tori gave him a small smile.

"That is kind of you. Thanks." She said and he helped her get her bags out of the trunk.

"I hope your future days improve." He told her before getting back in the taxi. She smiled and tugged at her jacket. The spring weather in New York was not nearly as warm as California.

XXXX

Trina knocked on Jade's apartment door.

"It's open!" Jade's voice yelled through the apartment and Trina turned the doorknob and pushed it open. Heavy metal was playing loudly throughout the rooms and Trina stood awkwardly in the entrance. The windows were wide open and the spring breeze aired out the bright apartment. Trina looked around and took in the boxes that were sitting open on tables and the floor. The white walls were stark and empty and Trina wondered if Jade was redecorating.

Jade stepped out of the bedroom in the back and waved at Trina. The eldest Vega did not return the gesture. Her look of distaste deepened as she watched Jade move towards her. Jade wore a pair of jean cutoffs and a red tank top. Her hair was twisted in a bun and a red bandana was wrapped around her head and tied on top. Her bare feet padded across the carpet until she stopped in front of Trina.

"I expected you to be more upset." Trina crossed her arms annoyed.

"Well, you expected wrong." Jade answered, hands on hips.

"Why are you so happy, anyways?"

"I'm moving." She picked up a stack of books. "Your sister's things are over there." She bobbed her head in the direction of the counter that Tori last sat at. Now the barstools were gone.

"Where are you moving?" Trina asked as Jade dropped the books into a box on the coffee table. Jade glanced back at the tan woman. Her hair was curled and her makeup flawless, she was barely showing her latest pregnancy and she seemed genuinely happy except for the scowl on her face.

"Does it matter to you?" Jade questioned and shook her head from side to side slowly. "It's just time for me to get out of here. Too many bad memories holding me back." She said. Trina sighed and walked over to the boxes.

"Do you need help with those?" Jade asked. Trina opened her mouth to refuse help from her sister's ex-girlfriend but stopped.

"Yeah, that would probably be a good idea." She patted her small bump and lifted a box into her arms. Jade nodded and helped her carry the boxes to her car.


	5. Souls

**Here is the fifth, and final, installment of Ink Stains. **

"Look, Sis, you gotta move on." Trina walked through Tori's apartment. Her sister hadn't unpacked any more than what was necessary. It was dark except for a single lamp on the opposite side of the living room. Tori was curled up on her sofa in a pair of sweatpants and her unwashed hair hung lank around her shoulders.

"I am." She glared.

"No you're not. You're sitting here in your depressing-as-ever apartment and wallowing in self-pity at two in the afternoon." Trina pulled the blackout curtains to the side and let in some light.

"It's getting warmer outside. I bet you didn't even notice. When was the last time you went outside?" Trina opened the window.

"When I went to get groceries." Tori answered sullenly.

"That was four days ago." Trina started opening all of the windows. "Now, go take a shower. You're taking me around town." She ordered. Tori groaned.

"No."

"Tori, please, I'm leaving tomorrow. Please show me around." She started whining.

"Fine!" Tori snapped and stood up. Her bones creaked and popped as she stretched her joints.

"Thank you." Trina plopped into her sister's place and propped her feet on the coffee table. After Tori was clean and more presentable, Trina insisted they go to the studio first. Trina had chosen family rather than fame, at least that's what she told everyone, and she wanted to see where her famous baby sister made magic happen. When Tori walked through the doors to her company's studio the secretary called her name.

"What?" Tori asked. The woman went into back room and returned with a bouquet of roses.

"These came for you today. You have a voicemail at home telling you to come in and get them." She held the flowers out. Tori took them from her and the snob of a woman flipped her blond hair over her shoulder and teetered on her heels back behind her desk.

"Who are they from?" Trina asked. Tori read over the card.

"I don't know. It's just an address and it says 'meet me here'." Tori glanced up at her sister.

"Should we go?" She asked.

"Is that dangerous?" Trina shrugged.

"I guess we could go check it out." Tori nodded.

X

The taxi pulled up and dropped them off, in a decent part of town, outside of a shop with a sign reading _Jaded_ across the front. Tori stared at the sign shaking her head.

"I cannot believe it." She smirked. Trina's eyes bounced back and forth between the sign and Tori confused.

"What?" She said.

"Come on." Tori trudge forward and grasped onto the door handle. The glass was made of one way mirrors and she was sure whoever inside was looking at her. She yanked opened the door. There was no bell to signal their entrance but it wasn't necessary because Jade was waiting in the middle of the tattoo shop. Tori stopped a few feet away from her.

"Jade…" She said sounding mystified. Jade smiled and closed the distance between them.

"Hi." She kissed her. It was slow and reminiscent of their first kiss.

"Do you want to go get some coffee some time?" Jade asked.

"What?" Tori said in confusion.

"I know what I want. I want you. I want you to be more permanent than any tattoo. I had it in my head since I lost the baby when I was nineteen that I would never have a family. Seven years is a long time to give up on a life. You were the first person I trusted to have a serious relationship with since Beck. I didn't know how to act. But I realized, after you left, that I could not let you get away. I had to get things together though. You were right, I needed time to think. I left Hollywood and I never want to go back. I want to be right here with you because you are the best thing to ever happen to me." She was crying. Tori was crying. Even Trina was crying.

"And by coffee," Jade knelt down. "I mean, will you marry me?" She asked pulling a velvet ring box out of her pocket.

"Jade." Tori grinned.

"It's a yes or no question, Vega, you're killing me."

"Yes." She sank to her knees and kissed Jade.

"_Awww_!" Trina smiled.


End file.
